--> '''Shichi Kitakawa''': Putting my destiny in my hand, may {{God}} be my judge, your death will be at my hands!

"The Renegades" or simply, Renegade, is a story about a war. Set in the future, after some kind of unforseen apocalypse, it features a fairly devolutionary world with some advanced technology.

It features the "good" side, the humans, and the "bad" side, [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman clones and Synths]]. It started when Rex Malgram, an [[EvilBrit English scientist]], discovered a way to easily and quickly make synthetic people, but because of the immoral factors associated with cloning and synthesizing humans, Rex was ordered to stop creating these monster men, but he'd already been intoxicated by the chemicals he used to create his "Synths" (Later known as the three generals, Marlin, Elaine and Cygnet) and his physical and mental state was deteriarating.

He created Mechanical implants to use to stop the physical harm of the chemicals, but the mental damage had already crippled the man he used to be, leading him to believe that by killing everyone on earth, he would do the work of {{God}}. Shortly after this incident, he set his newly amassed army of clones and Synths on the world, effectively committing near total genocide of the world. After this, only three Japanese cities were left; the new capital, Hymmelyn, where the heroes live, a small village in the mountains "best known for it's '''giant freaking machine-guns''" guarding the entrance, Theskya, and the city with the most weapons factories, Amataké.

Around two years after the war started, the army discovered the telekinetic Hyoma Sakai and GadgeteerGenius Day Makimura and put them [[ChildSoldiers into war]]. Three years after that, Hyoma meets nine-year-old aerokinetic Raine Shirayuki. At around the same time, one Shichi Kitakawa suffers familicide and is left as an orphan, to be found by Raine five years later...

Basically, a short novel featuring wild, madcap action involving a {{Mecha}} named Hayato, clones, Synthetic humans and a bunch of shmutzy stuff. Kind of a mix between Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann, ComicBook/{{Witch}} and a bit of Original stuff.

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!!Tropes included in this work:
* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: Shichi's. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that Shichi's mother was shown five years prior to the current events. (Her children were seven and nine respectively).
* ActionGirl: None of the girls in this novel aren't badass, but Raine is ''the'' ActionGirl. She seems the only member of RENEGADE competent with a gun and she's also extremly dexteric... Two words; Wind Gun.
* ActionHero: Shichi sometimes slips into this when there's some major ass-kickin' to be done.
* AerithAndBob: To an extent. Shichi, Mizuko, Hyoma, [[spoiler: Ryou]] and Ryoji are Japanese, appropriate to where they are, while Raine, Elaine, Marlin, Day and Vito are odd, not to mention Cygnet. Just... Just what the hell with Cygnet.
* AfterTheEnd: The world had been degenerate prior to Rex Malgram's near-genocide, implied to have something to do with 2012.
* AllBikersAreHellsAngels: Invoked by Raine in the HighSchoolAU ''Renegade: High School''.
* AllThereInTheManual: The Powerpoint, which features a good amount of info about the characters, world and some pretty big spoilers.
* AlternateUniverse:
** Renegade: High School is (obviously) set in one, as is the VisualNovel project ''The Difference'' and the joking "Genagade."
** "Genegade" is the GenderSwap of the normal characters, similar in design to ''[[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya Suzumiya Haruhi No Seitenkan]]'', where Shichiko Kitakawa takes shine with her ActionHero sidekick, Rai Shirayuki. ''Not'' Raine.
* AngstComa: [[spoiler: After killing Ryou, Ryoji falls into one of these, though it's much more than just this. He has to have LaserGuidedAmnesia to fix it.]]
* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler: Shichi cries this when he learns what she is, and Raine reverses the gender and does this for Hyoma. There were plenty of hints before-hand, however.]]
* AntagonistInMourning: You can just see the Cygnet's worried when Mizuko falls. So much so that Vito has to bail him out.
* ApatheticCitizens: It's implied that Amataké's are like this. Hymmelyn's are at least concerned about the war, but Ari seems obviously surprised by this.
* ApocalypseMaiden: [[spoiler: Elaine]]. It's kind of jarring compared to how she was before. [[spoiler: Vito is clearly having loyalty difficulties at that point.]]
* ArcWords:
** "Love, rock and peace!" Also a ShoutOut to Minna No Peace, from Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann. (It's the second ending theme.)
** "Fourteen" and "Forty-One".
* ArmorPiercingQuestion:
** "Do you ''really'' want to kill everyone?" To explain; Vito is leading a sneak attack on Hymmelyn on Cygnet's orders and [[spoiler: Captured!]]Shichi gets on his comlink and reminds him that he'll be killing loads of defenceless children.
** It's "What's your age?" that gets him, actually.
* ArtifactTitle: Its Alternate title, "The Renegades" (Used instead of its regular "Renegade" because of ''that'' ''VideoGame/{{Renegade}}'') is arguably this since they aren't particularly renegade and they don't cause much trouble.
* ArtificialHuman: The "Synths" are this. Main characters; the generals, Vito and [[spoiler: Hayato.]]
* AxCrazy:
** Going [[spoiler: insane]] really did a number on [[spoiler: Elaine]]. Can't say after everything she did that she didn't deserve it, though.
** Shichi goes ballistic after he finds the identity of who killed his mom and sister. ThePowerOfFriendship didn't work on him; he had to be restrained and [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan slapped to sanity]].
* BackFromTheDead: Surprisingly averted, though WordOfGod says that [[spoiler: she really regretted killing of Marlin, which is why she allowed Cygnet to live, but She pratically started laughing when she wrote that Elaine was (finally) ''dead''.]]
* BadassAdorable: Mizuko and Hayato (Would make an awesome BattleCouple) are this; Mizuko is constantly getting simple things wrong and Hayato never realises when he's being insulted.
* BadassBiker: Hyoma in [[HighSchoolAU Renegade: High School]].
* BadassBoast: The page quote is one from Shichi, whereas Hyoma get's a totally awesome one:
--> '''Hyoma''': Did you really think that light-show [[spoiler: could knock me down]]? Well you were wrong. And you know what? You've got a noose around your neck now. And I'm ''your executioner''!
%%* BadassLongcoat: Cygnet, which doubles a.
* BadassNormal: Hyoma and Day. Mostly Day, since Hyoma's telekinetic; Day is always in the background, saving everyone without them ever knowing.
* BadBoss: Not Rex, not Marlin, not Cygnet... but is Elaine ever.
* BadFuture: Arguably this embodied, considering there's been practical genocide, there are kid soldiers so young running around and half the earth has been destroyed... but that's in a thousand, ninehundred something years. It's their problem.
* BeachEpisode: Defeating Elaine for the first time while sailing to England takes place on water, notably since Elaine's fortress is ''Sea-Q''.
* BeautifulDreamer: More surprisingly than anyone else in this novel, Vito. Yes. That one. Noted by Mizuko and Cygnet of all people, the night after [[spoiler: Mizuko betrays RENEGADE the first time.]]
* TheBerserker: Arguably, Shichi, especially when angered. Vito, though, is this too, with a HairTriggerTemper to match, though this is only caused against his enemies. He's surprisingly calm with his superiors.
* BetaCouple: [[spoiler: One could say Raine and Hyoma are this.]]
* {{BFG}}: Raine's gun is almost the completely her size.
%%* BigBad: [[spoiler: Elaine.]]
* BigBrotherInstinct: Shichi has one due to the death of his younger sister Miku.
* BigDamnHeroes: Shichi and pals pull this on Vito... which is the start of a chain of Big Damn Heroes moments.
* BilingualBonus: Shichi's MeaningfulName. [[spoiler: It relates to ArcWords and... well. FourIsDeath, after all...]]
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The three good males; Shichi Kitakawa (Brunette), Hyoma Sakai (Blonde) and [[spoiler: Hayato's human body]] (Red).
* BookEnds: The first line is "After fourteen years of solid war, the world is desolated." And the final, [[spoiler: "After fourteen years of solid war, the reign of peace finally began."]] Not counting the lines at the bottom; "Shichi Kitakawa, signing out."
* BoomHeadshot: Mixed with a type of BookEnds; [[spoiler: Shichi makes sure Marlin is dead by shooting his head in, and then, given opportunity by Vito manages to do this to Elaine as well.]]
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler: Mizuko]]'s life has been conspiring to kill h[[spoiler:er]].
* BrotherSisterTeam: It's implied that Miku and Shichi had this going on.
%%* CapeSwish: Cygnet.
* ChekhovsGun: A literal example with Shichi's [[spoiler: shotgun.]]
* ChosenOne: The Elementally powered teens are treated as this by the army. Shichi, of course, lampshades the hell out of this.
* ColourCodedElements: Both played straight and subverted at the same time. Even though Shichi's AnIcePerson, his colour is red, which is seen as TheHero's colour. Also, his Lancer, Hyoma's colour is green, befitting his MindOverMatter and intelligence, but not his role in the team. Day's is yellow-gold, perhaps a little more fitting if she weren't TheSmartGuy. Raine's is purple, more fitting of a [[TheHeart Heart]] than TheBigGuy, and Mizuko's colour is TheLancer's colour (blue) despite her being TheHeart. Also, Vito's is sky blue, befitting [[spoiler: his HeelFaceTurn and later ascention from TheRival to TheLancer when Hyoma takes a backseat to fully embrace his BattleCouple status with Raine]].
* CombiningMecha: Notably averted; Cygnet's ''Rikushi'' {{Mecha}} and Hayato never combine. Ever.
* ComingOfAgeStory: Shichi's, and arguably, everyone else's too.
* ContrivedCoincidence: "All of the stars intertwine to form this... Our destinies decide our fates, but our paths are our own!"
* CoolBigSis: Day. That's her role in the novel other than "GadgeteerGenius".
* CoolDownHug: Attempted on Shichi after he freaks out, but it doesn't work.
* CorporalPunishment: Elaine, to all of her soldiers. Poor Ryoji.
* CuteBruiser: The very cute Raine. Also a [[TheGunslinger girl with a gun]].
* CuteLittleFangs: In more light-hearted scenes, Vito's canines, though the way Elaine [[CorporalPunishment bitches on him]] about them and the way they're constantly made mention to as "Deformities" they're not really 'cute' anymore.
* DarkerAndEdgier: The latter half of the book that deals with the more horrifying parts of war and the scars left on the characters.
* DeadPanSnarker: The whole cast, especially Shichi. Case in point:
--> '''Shichi''': (Diary) ''We let Mizuko name it. She chose Hayato. Yes, Falcon Person you are, giant tank mecha.''
* DeathIsASadThing: Dear Shichi's familicide is the cause of his {{Angst}}.
* DeathIsDramatic: Marlin's turns out to be, as does [[spoiler: Ryou's.]]
* DeathSeeker: Shichi was this before Raine intervened and after he learnt who killed Miku and his mom.
%%* {{Determinator}}: Every. One.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Notably ''averted''; Vito can't stand losing to Renegade which is the reason he ''doesn't'' join them.
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Mizuko crosses it after Ryou is murdered by Ryoji, attempting to commit suicide.]]
%%* DiskOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler: Rex Malgram.]]
* DontYouDarePityMe: Vito, who is [[BerserkButton tetchy]] about it, but maybe this is just pity from Humans...
* DoomMagnet: Shichi feels he is this to other people. Paralleling to Vito, who thinks the same.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Mizuko after Ryou's death. It doesn't happen. Shichi's almost there after he discovers the truth about Vito.]] Strangely, Vito is never anywhere close to this, despite the abuse he received from Elaine after [[spoiler: Marlin's]] death.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: Ryou. As he is about to be killed by what/who he now recognises as himself, he looks to the sky and asks Mizuko, his lover, to forgive him for realising who Ryoji was and not telling her, before looking back to Ryoji- his very own clone- and facing his death in the eyes, telling him to "look after [Mizuko] for [him]." After this, and his subsequent death, his own murderer procedes to have a VillainousBSOD and have an AngstComa about the whole event.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: WordOfGod claimed that she doesn't like Happy Endings. So everyone has to work like animals to earn themselves the ending that they deserve.
* EnergyBeing: Hayato in data form.
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: Averted; the only two blonde mains, Vito and Hyoma, almost everyone hates.
* EvilBrit: Rex Malgram, though this is only implied, WordOfGod says this is true, though she doesn't like the trope much.
--> ''WordOfGod'': I'm English myself, and while one could call me evil for what I do to my characters, I'm not a fan of the Brits are evil stereotype, but "Malgram Rex" doesn't sound right and I didn't want him to be American... So... Brit.
* EvilCounterpart: Vito to Shichi, Elaine to Mizuko/Raine, Cygnet to Hyoma (Arguably)
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Mizuko when she heals Cygnet before he dies.]]
* FangsAreEvil: The only character to sport them, Vito, is a firm villain. If not a great one.
* ForeShadowing: Mizuko's calling Vito "Vituru", the HeldGaze between Mizuko and Ryoji and Cygnet's comments on deputies.
* FourIsDeath: Shichi embodies this. His name is a nod towards it, as well as his Awesome Nickname, Captain RENEGADE/Renegade.
* FourPhilosophyEnsemble: Mizuko and Shichi as Optimist (Though strangely, Shichi is also slightly cynical), Hyoma as Cynic, Raine as Realist and Vito as Apathetic in the mainest mains.
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan:
** Unintentionally, Mizuko does this to Shichi.
** Shichi to Vito.
** Hyoma's slap to Shichi during his HeroicBSOD.
* GoneHorriblyWrong: Some of the clones are very deformed. [[spoiler: Hayato's body]] even has the shoulder blades ''growing out into the skin''.
* GratuitousJapanese: "Ichishi" or "Fourteen".
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Vito's, though this should be no surprise to everyone by now, Mizuko's five years prior to the novel and Cygnet's LastMinuteReprieve.]]
* HeroicBSOD: Upon Shichi's realisation that it was [[spoiler: Vito]] who killed his mother and sister. During this he attempts to kill said person and has to be ''held down'' and slapped to sense by Hyoma.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Cygnet]]. You can't help but feel bad for him as he tells [[spoiler: Mizuko]] he's sorry...
* HiddenDepths: Hyoma, most definitely. Vito too, but mostly Hyoma; he's got abandonment issues and yet he physically prefers to be alone. Also there's that tention with Raine...
* HonourBeforeReason: Vito... Which is why [[BadBoss Elaine]] hates him.
* HotBlooded: Everyone, [[PlayingWithFire Vito]] mostly, but Shichi is a contender for this also.
* HumongousMecha: Hayato. When Shichi hijacked him, he didn't know this and until Day proved it no-one believed her... But man is Hayato big. (In both Tank and Robot mode).
* {{Hypocrite}}: Elaine. She hates humans and is fighting a war against them, but comments at how she hates the inhuman way some of them look.
* HypocriticalHumour: "We may be fighting humans, but by God do I hate the ones of us that don't look like them.
* IAmNotPretty: An offhand comment made by Hyoma causes Raine to react this way. To her dismay, he isn't insistent on the matter.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Shichi is forced to have one against [[spoiler: Evil!Mizuko]].
* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: Arguably, the Renegade!Jackets, but this is perhaps Justified due to the fact that ''The year is 3941.''
* ImprobableHairstyle: considering the realism elements, some of the hairstyles and colours are a little jarring. Particularly Mizuko and Raine, who stand with the rest of the mains with blue and purple hair respectively. Justified in [[spoiler: Mizuko's case. She's actually a clone of a woman with blonde hair, so it can be assumed that Rex simply changed her hair colour. Raine]], however, has absolutely no excuse.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: At one point, Shichi makes an ice [[BatterUp baseball bat]].
* InterruptedSuicide: [[spoiler: Mizuko is about to do this when Prince Ari, who is hunting, comes across her and stops her, instead shooting her himself, which wipes her memory.]]
* KickTheDog: While not cute, Elaine loves doing this to the main soldier villains; Vito seems to be her favourite punch bag: she kicks the living shit out of him whenever she feels like it, then Ryoji, her own personal ''slave'' near enough, who she does hit a lot, and she also knocks Aru about a bit too (probably for the sake of being a bitch)... It's implied that she does this with ''all'' of her soldiers.
* KilledOffForReal: WordOfGod says that this could have happened to all of the characters, since she doesn't like Happy Endings.
* KillTheOnesYouLove: Mizuko was afraid she'd have to do this with [[spoiler: Ryou]], and later Shichi worries about the same when Mizuko [[spoiler: switches sides the first time.]]
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: When Ryoji murders Ryou, he fell into an AngstComa of sorts and couldn't fix himself despite knowing that Ryou wasn't the first person that he killed. EpilepticTrees suggest that he either: felt so bad about killing Mizuko's lover that he couldn't stand to be him anymore, or the more likely, {{Canon}}-suggested he saw that the boy he just murdered was actually the person he was cloned from and that he just essentially murdered ''himself''.]]
%%** One could say that Ari's [[spoiler: shooting Mizuko in the head]] was this as well.
* LettingHerHairDown: When Raine takes down her GirlishPigtails, revealing her very long hair, everyone is amazed. Even then she gives her first and last dances to her date, [[ForeShadowing Hyoma]].
* LimitedWardrobe: Everyone, though this is a JustifiedTrope because the RENEGADE kids don't ''have'' anything else and the enemy soldiers, well, that's all they're given. There is no reason, however, for Cygnet and Elaine. (Marlin dies too early on with so little "screen time" that it's hard to judge.)
* LotusEaterMachine: Rex puts the heroes through this, and it's revealed the drugs that intoxicated his mind effect him so badly that he thinks he's really making {{Utopia}}... by killing everyone, giving him a sense of this all the time.
* [[LoveMakesYouEvil Love Makes You Good]]: [[spoiler: Mizuko falls in love with the human, Ryou, and wants to be a good guy with him.]]
* MadeOfIron: Vito can be knocked off of Sky-Q, thrown up and down with by a mecha, dropped onto rations, have his open cuts fall into mud shortly after the cuts were made and he still rivals Shichi's strength. Again. And again. And ''again''.
* MagicSkirt: Averted. Shichi wishes it were so, however, so he could skip the {{panty shot}} with Mizuko.
%%* ManipulativeBastard: Elaine. Oh so much.
* MeaningfulEcho: [[spoiler: Ryou/]]Ryoji's "Just find new things to make you happy."
* MeaningfulName: Each name is this in essence. Shichi's is (Fourteen/Forty-One) and so is Ryoji's once you're in the know. Vito's is purposely made this way by Marlin. (Life)
* MrFanservice: Vito, Hyoma and arguably Shichi.
* MusicalEpisode: The fun, spare chapter; "Let's all get Karaoké!" which is ultimately about a firmly non-canon get-together of all the characters to sing. Shichi sings "[[ThemeMusicPowerUp Stars In Their Eyes]]", Raine sings "Baby Got Back", Ryoji sings "[[VideoGame/Persona3 Burn My Dread]]" and Vito sings "[[Franchise/{{Digimon}} Going Digital]]". ItMakesSenseInContext. Apparently.
* RankScalesWithAsskicking: Marlin almost kills Shichi, Cygnet almost kills '''everyone''', Elaine [[spoiler: turns out to be a "final boss" of sorts, having gone completely crazy from her failures]] and Rex Malgram is 100% personifed badass.
* RedBaron: Shichi's "The first death"; an alternate translation of his name and "Captain Renegade", a loving nickname given to him when he becomes leader.
* SerialEscalation: Ryoji notes this about all of Shichi's achievements while Shichi himself notes that the entire team's success is ultimately this as well.
* WarIsHell: Often driven, but not [[{{Anvilicious}} Anviliciously]] so. Surprisingly for a novel touching on such sensitive issues, it's not mentioned much how terrible it is; Raine's character song is called "Making Me Numb" (from the horrors of war) and Mizuko is horrified by it, but not so much more of that.
%%* WorldOfBadass
* YouAreNotAlone: In a particularly [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Heartwarming]] example, during Shichi's final and most intense HeroicBSOD, [[spoiler: he mentions how he thinks he's failed Miku because he couldn't kill Vito, however the dark, showy seven-year-old version of her is eclipsed by an eleven year old version of herself, her current age, who reminds Shichi that even though he doesn't have her and his family anymore, they'll always be in his heart before she goes on to "More importantly..."]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Miku''']]: We're not gone, [[spoiler: Onii-Chan.]] We'll never be gone. We're in your very soul, your heart and your mind. Forget ''her'', the monster, and look at ''me.'' I've been there all this time, yelling the right decisions. You knucklehead, you never listen. But... There's always ''them.'' We're there... But more importantly...
--> ''(Shichi's black and white barrier breaks)'' '''Shichi''': Eh...?
--> '''RENEGADE''': Shichi Kitakawa! YouAreNotAlone. You'll ''never'', ''ever'' be alone as long as you live.